By a Correspondent
A Zimbabwean man has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Kingdom for murdering his South African partner in a knife attack on a Gloucester street in front of members of the public.
Tanaka Zivanai, 32, (pictured) of Dora Walk, Tredworth, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to the murder of 28-year-old Zanele Sibanda and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years and 10 months in prison before becoming eligible for parole. He was also handed a concurrent two-year sentence for carrying the knife.
The court heard that Zivanai killed Zanele at about 1.45am on August 27, 2024, at the junction of Paul Street and Tarrington Road in Tredworth.
Despite efforts by police officers and paramedics who rushed to the scene, Zanele died from multiple stab and slash wounds.
Zivanai was arrested at the scene and later admitted both offences during a hearing in November 2024.
Prosecutors told the court that the couple’s relationship had been characterised by abusive behaviour, with Zivanai described as intensely jealous and controlling.
He regularly subjected Zanele to emotional abuse and frequently accused her of having affairs without evidence.
Neighbours told the court they often heard arguments, with Zanele crying and objects being smashed inside the couple’s flat.
One concerned neighbour became so worried about Zanele’s safety that she gave her contact details for a domestic abuse support service.
In the days before her death, a male colleague drove Zanele home from work on two occasions. On both occasions, she asked to be dropped off several streets away from her home because she feared Zivanai would see her with another man and become violent.
The day before the murder, Zanele spent time with friends after work while Zivanai repeatedly phoned and video-called her.
During one call, which her friends overheard on speakerphone, Zivanai allegedly shouted abuse at her and became enraged after seeing a man in the room.
He demanded that she leave immediately and return home, threatening to kill her if she came back to the flat.
Although her friends pleaded with her to stay somewhere safe for the night, Zanele declined, believing that his anger would subside.
As she made her way home, Zivanai called again and repeated his threat, shouting: “If you come back, I’ll kill you.”
Later that evening, neighbours witnessed another lengthy argument outside the couple’s flat over Zivanai’s immigration status and fears that he could be forced to return to Zimbabwe.
The court also heard that he accused Zanele, who was originally from South Africa, of having a relationship with another man.
At about 11.40pm, CCTV captured Zivanai shouting into his mobile phone while carrying a bottle of alcohol. During the call, he threatened to kill a man he wrongly believed had been involved with Zanele.
Shortly before the murder, Zivanai assaulted Zanele in the street, causing her to fall to the ground, where she appeared to be unconscious.
Rather than leaving the scene, the court heard, he returned to the flat, armed himself with a knife and went back to where Zanele was lying.
He then repeatedly stabbed her in front of horrified witnesses.
When police arrived minutes later, they found Zivanai lying beside Zanele’s body.
Emergency services attempted to save her life, but she died at the scene.
During sentencing, Judge Hart described the killing as horrific, telling Zivanai that he had been angry, aggressive and consumed by “entirely groundless jealousy” throughout the relationship.
The judge said Zanele had been intimidated by Zivanai’s behaviour and condemned his calculated decision to leave the flat, collect a knife and return to carry out the fatal attack.
In mitigation, the court heard that Zivanai had no previous convictions, had pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The court was also told that he had experienced poor mental health and had a troubled background.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Usher of the Major Crime Investigation Team described Zivanai as an extremely controlling and dangerous individual, saying his immigration concerns appeared to have contributed to the premeditated attack.
He said the murder had deeply affected Zanele’s family, the witnesses who saw the attack and the wider Gloucester community.
Detective Chief Inspector Usher also highlighted the impact on Zanele’s two young children, aged two and nine, who had been left without their mother.
He said he hoped the sentence would provide Zanele’s loved ones with some measure of closure as they attempted to rebuild their lives following the tragic loss.
